Jehovah's Witnesses, Blood, and the Jerusalem Council

On their website the Watch Tower Society write:

'The Bible commands that we not ingest blood. So we should not accept whole blood or its primary components in any form, whether offered as food or as a transfusion.'

A key text they use is Acts 15:20 where we find the conclusion of the Jerusalem Council on the issue of circumcision.

Commenting on this text, the Watch Tower writes,

‘God gave Christians the same command that he had given to Noah. History shows that early Christians refused to consume whole blood or even to use it for medical reasons.’

This is a most peculiar observation since the use of blood for medical reasons was something far in the future for the church as for wider society. There is sleight of hand here, suggesting something that isn’t in the text. It would not have crossed their minds to consider such a thing. Yet the Watch Tower misleadingly suggests a positive decision might have been made to avoid using blood, ‘even for medical reasons.’

In this ministry we continuously drum home to people the importance of context in handling Bible texts. Context here immediately challenges the erroneous claims of the Watch Tower Society for the decisions made by the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. The theme of the council was the claim by some that Gentiles, to become Christians, must first become Jews.

The Jerusalem Council

‘Some men came down from Judaea (to Antioch 14:26-28) and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses you cannot be saved.’’ (Acts:15:1)

Following some debate in Antioch Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to sort this out. Peter stood up and, recognising that God had brought the gospel to the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit was given to them as much as to Jewish converts, he pressed home the point, ‘we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’ (15:7-11)

Think of Paul’s words in his letter to believers in Ephesus:

‘But now in Christ Jesus you (Gentiles) who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two (Jew and Gentile), so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility….For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.’ (Eph.2:13-19 cf. Gal.3:28/29)

James announced, ‘my judgement is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God…’ (v 19) thereby making it clear circumcision was not necessary, and they did not need to become Jews in order to become Christians. But then this abstaining from blood rule is introduced in this letter affirming the Jerusalem council decision. What is going on?

Look at the verses together to get context:

‘20. Therefore my judgement is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21. For (i.e. because) from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim it, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.’ (Acts 15:20/21)

The council has just decided that Gentiles who turn to God do not need to first become Jews. The abstention from blood is explained in verse 21 as necessary because of the sensibilities of Jewish believers who have, for generations, heard Moses proclaimed in synagogues in every city. This is exactly the counsel delivered by Paul in 1 Corinthians. Insisting ‘an idol has no real existence,’ Paul asserts the Christian’s freedom to eat meat offered to idols:

‘However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to idols, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are not worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.’ (1 Cor.8)

You might as easily say, ‘drinking and eating blood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat and drink, and no better of if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to Jewish believers.’

The concern of the Jerusalem Council was not that Gentile believers should obey Moses, becoming ritually clean, but that they should not become a stumbling block to the weak.

Whole Blood v Blood Fractions

In our Facebook post Bavesh Roger helpfully observed:

'This issue is no longer about what the Bible says and the society knows this very well, but still they won't lift this prohibition because they will have to admit that it has been a tragic misunderstanding since the start. There have been so many court cases and so many lives lost that there would be an outcry among the JW's if this ban is suddenly lifted.

To minimize the casualties they changed their position and now permit the blood fractions but not the whole blood. This prohibition on the whole blood is practically meaningless because there was a time when whole blood was the only option. However, since 1970 there have been new studies and now the whole blood is rarely used for transfusion since most patients require only a specific element of blood.

An example of this is Albumin, a blood fraction which is permitted by the society. It is derived from Plasma, a blood product NOT approved by the society. To obtain about 120 grams of albumin, about 3 liters of plasma is required. Plasma accounts for 55% of total volume of blood in an adult which is about 5 liters. A patient with acute lung injury is treated with a total of 225g of albumin for a period of 3 days which would require about 12 liters of whole blood.

It makes no sense to ban the whole blood and plasma but not albumin. One has to wonder whether their previous ban on albumin was really from God or men.'

A fuller treatment of this issue, including looking at Leviticus 17, can be found on the Reachout Trust website: Goat Demons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Blood

You can also find a helpful treatment of this subject at Witnesses for Jesus on You Tube